News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH) and First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin welcome 14 choirs from across the Mountain State to perform holiday music as part of the First Lady’s Festival of Songs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 in the Culture Center Theater at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The show is free and open to the public. A full performance schedule is listed below.

“Each year, I am delighted to join Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith and the staff at the Culture Center to cel­ebrate the joy of music,” said Tomblin. “This event brings excitement to the holiday season with performances that showcase the spirit and talent of our state’s young citizens.”

“We are pleased to welcome these talented young performers to the Culture Center to celebrate the art of vocal music," WVDCH Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith said. "The First Lady’s Festival of Songs is just one example of how the division is working to promote the arts in the Mountain State."

The performance, sponsored by the Division of Culture and History and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, will be taped as part of a special partnership with the West Virginia Library Commission and then aired Christmas morning on Library Channel television stations throughout the state.

Representatives from the music departments of Fairmont State University and West Virginia University also will be available in the Great Hall of the Culture Center throughout the day to discuss their programs.

For more information about the First Lady’s Festival of Songs, contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner for the division, at 304-558-0220 or Caryn.S.Gresham@wv.gov.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

2016 First Lady’s Festival of Songs Schedule

10 a.m.            Welcome – Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith
10:05 a.m.       First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin
10:10 a.m.       Appalachian Children’s Chorus
10:30 a.m.       Cabell Midland High School – Collegium Musicum
10:50 a.m.       Wahama Junior/Senior High School – White Falcon Choir
11:10 a.m.       Lewis County High School – Minutemen Melodics
11:30 a.m.       Shady Spring Middle School – Shady Spring Middle School Choir
11:50 a.m.       George Washington High School – Unaccompanied Minors
12:10 p.m.       INTERMISSION
1 p.m.              Welcome – Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith
1:05 p.m.         First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin
1:10 p.m.         Preston High School – Preston Madrigal Choir
1:30 p.m.         Chapmanville Regional High School – Chapmanville Regional High School Chamber & Concert Choirs
1:50 p.m.         Tolsia High School – Tolsia High School Choir & Select Ensemble
2:10 p.m.         Woodrow Wilson High School – Woodrow Wilson High School Theatre Performance/Vocal Ensemble
2:30 p.m.         INTERMISSION
2:50 p.m.         Mingo Central Comprehensive High School – Central Singers Women’s Ensemble
3:10 p.m.         Capital High School – VIPs
3:30 p.m.         Mingo Central Comprehensive High School – Central Singers Mixed Ensemble
3:50 p.m.         Cabell Midland High School – Rhythm in Red

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